Abstract:

Li Jinhui (1891-1967) was a prolific composer whose works included popular music, children’s Song and Dance Drama (歌舞剧), and so on. He was hailed as the pioneer of children’s Song and Dance Drama in China and was involved in various fields, including music, dance, literature, drama, and education. However, his work later faced criticism for alleged erotic elements. In the 1930s, he was banned by the education department, and his music was removed from schools and education. During the Cultural Revolution in China, he endured persecution and passed away. However, it is worth noting that despite this historical background, most research has been focused on Li Jinhui’s popular music and literary works, while his contributions to the field of children’s music education have consistently been overlooked. This paper first traces the development of children’s music compositions and preschool music textbooks derived from Li Jinhui’s work, with the aim of determining Li Jinhui’s potential contributions to current preschool music education in China. The paper also analyzes kindergarten music textbooks that developed from Li’s textbooks, for example ‘Kindergarten Textbook – Music’ published by the Ministry of Education in 1983, aiming to provide a clearer understanding of the potential value of Li Jinhui’s music textbook in modern preschool music education in China.

Keywords:

Li Jinhui, children’s music, preschool music textbook, preschool music education.